Liberal stronghold no more, the New Democrat's Jonah Schein turned Davenport from red to orange Thursday, mirroring voter sentiment in the federal election.

NDP hopes of repeating upstart MP Andrew Cash’s historic victory in May — winning a riding that was robin red since 1962 — came true. But the Liberals left little breathing room as the results came in, trailing closely behind, at times by a mere percentage point.

And while Cash was on hand to celebrate, it was Schein's party.

“I feel amazing. This is fantastic,” said Schein at a packed after party at Latin-jazz club Lula Lounge, many of his supporters young. “We fought for this night ... It says we're a scrappy riding. It says people want a piece of fighting for this city. People want to stand up. People want to be heard. People want good representation.”

Trinity-Spadina MP Olivia Chow arrived early, before the polls even closed. Perusing news sites on her iPad she was buoyed to see the NDP double their seats this election.

“Look at all the young people here. It's exciting, it's dynamic and we are getting a real sense that there's a lot of energy. And people in Davenport are looking for something different,” she said.

Downtown Davenport — stretching north to Eglinton Ave., south past Queen St. and running from the CN line to points on Dufferin St., Winona Dr. and Ossington Ave. in the east — is one of the most ethnically diverse ridings in the province, with the largest Portuguese community and a growing number of Vietnamese speakers and Latinos.

There’s a retired and aging population, but also, because of its proximity to the city core, a bevy of young urban professionals attracted to the area by more affordable housing. The migration has shifted traditional voting patterns, with support for the Liberals steadily dropping in recent years.

Property taxes, access to child care, education and health services for the elderly were of top concern amongst residents. Then there’s the Metrolinx plan to run airport-bound diesel trains through local neighbourhoods, with the goal of electrifying the operation in the future. The contentious issue garnered traction as the race chugged on.

Since it was redrawn in 1998, with the same lines as the federal riding, Liberal Tony Ruprecht took the win as the NDP crept up. But Ruprecht, after 30 years at Queen’s Park, retired in July, leaving Davenport without an incumbent and the race wide open.

Enter New Democrat community organizer Jonah Schein, a familiar face. In 2010, he campaigned in the north end of the riding for a city council seat, losing to Rob Ford ally Cesar Palacio. He also knocked on doors for Cash. With a founding role in an engagement program at a local community food centre, Schein, 37, talked often of poverty, affordable housing and access to food for residents.

The Grits countered with newbie Cristina Martins, an energetic mother of two young children who came to Canada from Portugal in 1970 and attended St. Rita’s Catholic school. Martins, who became president of the federation of Portuguese Canadian Business Professionals after a 15-year career in pharmaceuticals, said she had the experience and background to relate to voters.

Martins, gathered with friends and family at the Casa Do Alentejo Community Centre on Dupont St., offered many thanks to her team — from her campaign manager to the women who cooked food for the campaign almost everyday.

“I really, really truly think that we did an amazing job in the amount of time that we had. We had about five or six weeks at most to put this thing together. And coming this close, I think we did a fabulous, fabulous job,” said Martins.

The first time candidate said she loves running for office and “most definitely would want to run again.”

The campaign became a tug of war between Martins and Schein, especially when it came to diesel-powered trains.

At one point, the NDP sent out a press release, jumping on Martins for comments in a local paper which said “Martins believes that (diesel trains) have been receiving a bad rap,” and quoting the candidate as saying, “These are not huge trains, they aren’t cargo trains.”

Schein responded: “It’s the community that’s getting the bad rap . . . The McGuinty Liberals are ramming through diesel trains with no consultation and no consent from the people of Davenport.”

In a shrewd political move, just a week before Election Day, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath announced a $457 million plan to electrify the rail link to Pearson International Airport, a plan that could help Schein.

Martins countered by questioning the truth and integrity of the NDP platform. “I have always been completely committed to the electrification of the line as soon as possible. Any suggestion to the contrary is a flat out lie,” she said in her own released retort.

Progressive Conservative party candidate Kirk Russell is the owner of a small construction company. Green Party candidate Frank de Jong is an elementary school teacher and former leader of the party.

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